In an effort to improve the reliability and ease of use of modern sporting rifles it is advantageous to accommodate both left handed and right handed shooters. To this end, rifle designs have been implemented which emphasize ambidextrous features. The charging handle is a natural candidate for such consideration. The charging handle is central to the operation of the modern sporting rifle, as its action draws the bolt carrier out of battery, cocks the hammer, and, upon release, allows the bolt carrier to run back into battery, stripping a round from the magazine and chambering the round. The charging handle should also be reliably attached to the receiver once the rifle is charged and during firing, but must also release readily from the receiver to permit charging or release of the bolt carrier when a new magazine is inserted.
It is desirable that the charging handle be robust and reliable, which is achieved by a simple design with few moving parts. A review of the known prior art indicates that there is clearly a need for improvements in charging handles for modern sporting rifles.